Chapter 12: An Embrace Against Time
1226 Words
The roar of the three black speedboats piercing through the fog in the middle of the lake struck my eardrums like a hammer.
But my body was no longer under my control. The bluish venom Elena had injected was flowing through my veins like an ice-cold current.
My eyelids grew heavy; the world around me slowed down, dissolving into a strange shade of grey. I felt Lucas’s strong hands shielding me against the floor of the boat.
Blood seeped from the bandage on his chest, staining my hands, but he didn't seem to care.
"Sophia! Open your eyes! Look at me!"
Lucas’s voice sounded like an echo from a great distance. His fingers slapped my cheeks lightly, trying to keep me conscious.
I managed to flutter my eyes open. Looking up at the sky, I saw the first light of dawn breaking, but I wondered—would there be another dawn for me? "Lucas... I... I can't do this anymore," I whispered. My own voice sounded foreign to me.
"You have to! Twelve hours, Sophia, just twelve hours. I will snatch you back from the hands of the Angel of Death," Lucas said through gritted teeth. He gripped the boat's steering wheel with one hand and picked up his rifle with the other.
A rain of bullets began to pour from the speedboats behind us. Small fountains of water erupted where the bullets struck the surface.
Lucas pushed the boat to its maximum speed.
It skipped over the waves with violent jolts. With every shudder, my heart felt like it was tearing apart. Lucas turned occasionally to fire back.
With his perfect aim, one of the speedboats' engines caught fire and exploded into a massive fireball within seconds.
But the remaining two boats refused to give up the chase.
"They aren't Marcus's men, Sophia; they are 'Shadow Eagle,' the secret hit squad of the Morenos.
They want that map even if they have to kill you for it," Lucas growled to himself. He steered the boat toward a narrow creek hidden within the mountain crevices.
Suddenly, the boat crashed against a rock and came to a halt. Lucas swept me up in his arms. His own chest wound had reopened; I felt his warm blood mingling with my dress.
Yet, he didn't stop for a single second. He carried me into a deserted cave, its entrance covered by thick vines, making it nearly invisible from the outside.
He laid me down on a dry stone and gasped for breath. Sweat and blood mixed on his forehead. He pulled a small syringe from his pocket.
"What is that?" I asked in a faint voice.
"It’s not the antidote, but it will keep your heart beating for a few more hours. Sophia, listen... I have to go back to Elena.
Only that witch has the real antidote," Lucas gripped my hand. His touch was trembling now.
"No, Lucas! She’ll kill you! She isn't your mother; she’s a monster!" I tried to stop him, but I lacked the strength to move my arms.
Lucas leaned over me. In those grey eyes was a primal mercy and a profound love. He pressed his lips to my forehead. In that touch, all the peace in the world seemed to be hidden.
"I am the last of the Valentines, Sophia, and Valentines don't know how to lose. If I don't return, remember—the Moreno treasure meant nothing to me; you were the greatest wealth I ever had."
He pushed the injection into my arm. An intense burning sensation shot through my body, but my fading consciousness sharpened.
Lucas reloaded his gun and headed toward the cave entrance.
"I’m coming back, Sophia. Just fight," he looked back one last time and vanished into the darkness.
I was alone.
The silence inside the cave was so deep I could hear the thumping of my own heart. Time ticked away. One hour, two hours... every second felt like an eternity.
The pain from the poison made it feel as if my bones were snapping. I looked at the Moreno symbols carved into the wall.
The tattoo on my thigh was glowing now, as if giving off some invisible signal.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside. Not the sound of heavy boots, but light sandals. I huddled back in fear. Had someone found me?
Pushing aside the vines, that mysterious woman entered—Elena Valentine. In her hand was a blue vial. She sat before me with that same demonic smile.
"Lucas isn't coming, Sophia. He fell into a mountain ravine while fighting Marcus and my men," Elena said calmly.
Whether it was a lie or the truth, I didn't know. My world stood still. Lucas was dead? For me?
"There’s still time," Elena dangled the vial before my eyes.
"Unlock the vault with your iris, and this antidote is yours. Your life is in your hands, Sophia."
I looked at Elena. In my hate and rage, the poison in my body seemed to turn into fire.
"If Lucas is gone, I have no need for this life. Moreno blood doesn't know how to betray, Elena."
Enraged, Elena grabbed a fistful of my hair.
She pulled out a knife and placed it over the tattoo on my thigh. "Then so be it! I’ll take the map by cutting it from your skin. Alive or dead—I want that map!"
Just as she was about to drive the knife in, a massive explosion rocked the cave. Through the smoke, I saw a towering silhouette.
Lucas! He was bloodied, one side of his body burnt, but he held that rifle. He didn't say a word; he fired directly at Elena’s hand.
Elena screamed in pain and dropped the vial. Lucas lunged like a panther, caught the vial, and kicked Elena forcefully against the cave wall.
Lucas crawled toward me. With trembling hands, he opened the vial and poured the liquid into my mouth.
As the antidote went down my throat, it felt like ice was melting in my veins. I took a deep breath.
Lucas rested his head on my chest, panting. "I... I didn't let you die, Sophia..."
I held him tight. But then I realized Lucas’s body was shaking uncontrollably. As I touched his back, my hand became soaked in warm blood.
Besides Marcus’s bullet, his back was riddled with a dozen more wounds. He had broken through Elena’s ranks, using the last drops of his life’s blood to bring this antidote to me.
"Lucas! Look at your condition!" I cried out.
Lucas smiled. His eyes were slowly closing. He whispered,
"Sophia... remember the last page of the Moreno diary? Your mother wanted to save you from Elena because... because you aren't Elena’s daughter.
You... you are actually the child of my father’s secret lover, the one Elena killed with her own hands. We... we aren't blood relations, Sophia... you are free..."
The ground slipped from beneath my feet. Lucas knew this? He knew we weren't part of some forbidden relationship?
Just then, hundreds of searchlights from outside pierced the cave. Police? Or another faction of the Morenos? But Lucas wasn't moving anymore. Had his heart stopped?
- Writer
